BLE link-cluster architecture

ABSTRACT

A device includes a BLUETOOTH low energy (BLE) link layer (LL) controller configured to maintain a link cluster including multiple links between the device and one or more connected devices that share parameters associated with the link cluster and to process data associated with the links of the link cluster at a LL. The links of the link cluster established according to a BLE communication standard. The device further includes or is coupled to BLE physical link (PHY) interfaces coupled to the BLE LL controller and configured to exchange the data on different links of the link cluster at different respective signal frequencies, interface with the BLE LL controller, and process the data at a PHY layer.

BACKGROUND

BLUETOOTH low energy (BLE) is a wireless communication technology usefulfor various applications and devices, such as in healthcare, fitness,security, home entertainment, and communication devices. The BLEcommunication technology provides for lower power consumption ofcommunication devices in comparison to BLUETOOTH or other wirelesscommunication technologies, while also maintaining a similar wirelesscommunication range and coverage. The reduced power consumption of thecommunication devices may be achieved by reducing device connection timein comparison to BLUETOOTH or the other wireless communicationtechnologies. The BLE communication technology is based on a BLEcommunication standard supported by various operating systems (OS),including ANDROID, IOS, WINDOWS, MACOS, LINUX, and other OS to operatethe communication devices.

SUMMARY

In accordance with at least one example of the disclosure, a deviceincludes a BLE link layer (LL) controller configured to maintain a linkcluster including multiple links between the device and one or moreconnected devices that share parameters associated with the link clusterand to process data associated with the links of the link cluster at aLL, where the links of the link cluster established according to a BLEcommunication standard, and BLE physical link (PHY) interfaces coupledto the BLE LL controller and configured to exchange the data ondifferent links of the link cluster at different respective signalfrequencies, interface with the BLE LL controller, and process the dataat a PHY layer

In accordance with at least one example of the disclosure, an apparatusincludes a non-transitory memory configured to store instructions and aprocessor coupled to the non-transitory memory, where executing theinstructions causes the processor to be configured to maintain a linkcluster including multiple links between the apparatus and one or moreconnected devices that share parameters associated with the link clusterand to process data associated with the links of the link cluster at aLL, where the links of the link cluster are established according to aBLE communication standard, process the data at a PHY layer, andexchange data on different links of the link cluster at differentrespective signal frequencies and at respective BLE PHY interfacescoupled to the LL.

In accordance with at least one example of the disclosure, a systemincludes a BLE device including a BLE LL controller configured tomaintain a link cluster including multiple links between the BLE deviceand one or more connected devices that share parameters associated withthe link cluster and to process data associated with the links of thelink cluster at the LL, where the links of the link cluster establishedaccording to a BLE communication standard, and transmitter devicesincluding respective BLE PHY interfaces coupled to the BLE LL controllervia one or more networks and configured to exchange the data ondifferent links of the link cluster at different respective signalfrequencies with the one or more connected devices, interface with theBLE LL controller and process the data at a PHY layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a processing and communication system, inaccordance with various examples.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a group of connected BLE devices, in accordancewith various examples.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a group of connected BLE devices, in accordancewith various examples.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a link cluster between BLE devices, in accordancewith various examples.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a link cluster between BLE devices, in accordancewith various examples.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a link cluster between BLE devices, in accordancewith various examples.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a BLE link-cluster architecture for establishinga link cluster with multiple links for a BLE device, in accordance withvarious examples.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a BLE link-cluster architecture for establishinga link cluster with multiple links for a BLE device, in accordance withvarious examples.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a BLE link-cluster architecture for establishinga link cluster with multiple links for a BLE device, in accordance withvarious examples.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of a BLE link-cluster architecture for establishinga link cluster with multiple links for a BLE device, in accordance withvarious examples.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a BLE link-cluster architecture for establishinga link cluster with multiple links for a BLE device, in accordance withvarious examples.

FIG. 12 is a diagram of a BLE link-cluster architecture for establishinga link cluster with multiple links for a BLE device, in accordance withvarious examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to the BLE communication standard in the Bluetooth CoreSpecification Verification 5.3 which is incorporated herein byreference, data transfers may be carried over links, which areconnections established between communication devices to exchange datain the form of messages or frames. The communication devices, which arealso referred to as BLE devices, include a central device and one ormore peripheral devices. The peripheral devices may have limited poweravailable in comparison to the central device. For example, the centraldevice may be a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop. The peripheral devicemay be a sensor device or a wearable device, such as a temperaturesensor or a wireless earphone, that has a smaller battery or a batterywith a more limited power storage than the central device. The centraldevice may also have a power supply other than a battery, such as agateway or a computer device plugged to a power outlet. The linksbetween the BLE devices are wireless links that can be established viaradio frequency (RF) connections.

A group of BLE devices can communicate in a multi-peripherals mode wheremultiple peripheral devices are connected to a single central device viarespective links. In the multi-peripherals mode, there is a single BLElink between each peripheral device and the central device. A group ofBLE devices may also communicate in a multi-centrals mode where multiplecentral devices are connected to a single peripheral device viarespective links. In the multi-centrals mode, there is a single BLE linkbetween each central device and the peripheral device. In either mode,the same peripheral device may be limited according to the BLE devicearchitecture to a single BLE link with the same central device.

The description provides for examples to expand the BLE devicearchitecture to support multiple links simultaneously, also referred toherein as a link cluster, between a BLE device and one or more other BLEdevices. The BLE devices connected by a link cluster may share sameparameters related to the link cluster. The link cluster can beestablished between the same or different central devices on one end ofthe link cluster and the same or different peripheral devices on theother end of the link cluster. The established link cluster can beuseful to transmit data in the direction from the BLE device, alsoreferred to herein as uplink, or in the direction to the BLE device,also referred to herein as downlink. The data can be transmitted ondifferent links, within the link cluster, in the same direction (e.g.,uplink or downlink) or in different directions (e.g., uplink anddownlink). The messages of frames transmitted on the links may beseparated by transmission gaps in time. For example, a message or framemay be transmitted on a first link during a transmission gap on a secondlink, or in parallel to other transmissions on one or more links. Theexpanded BLE device architecture is referred to herein as a BLElink-cluster architecture. The BLE link-cluster architecture can supporta group of BLE devices that communicate in both the multi-peripheralsmode and the multi-centrals mode. For example, a BLE device may be afirst central device connected to one or more peripheral devices and,simultaneously, may also be a peripheral device connected to one or moreother central devices. The BLE devices connected by a link cluster toone or more other BLE devices is also referred to herein as link-clusterBLE device (LCB).

The BLE link-cluster architecture configures the LCB, which may be acentral device or a peripheral device, with multiple BLE PHY layers anda single BLE logical link control (LLC) layer, also referred to hereinas a BLE LL, for data processing and handling. The multiple links of thelink cluster connect the same LCB with another LCB to transmit andreceive data in the form of messages, frames, or fragments of frames onthe uplink or downlink. The BLE link-cluster architecture is aware ofand accordingly coordinates the transmission on the multiple linkswithin the link cluster. The BLE link-cluster architecture synchronizesthe transmission and reception of the LCB and enables the transmissionor reception over the multiple links within the link cluster,simultaneously. The BLE link-cluster architecture also enables framesfragmenting and reassembly on multiple links within the link cluster,frames or fragments duplication, duplicated frames or fragmentsdetection, dynamic switching of frames or fragments on the links withinthe link cluster, simultaneous transmission and reception of frames orfragments on different links within the link cluster, and frames orfragments retransmission on different links within the link cluster. Thetransmission and reception can be coordinated on the multiple linkswithin the link cluster to reduce cross-link interference among thelinks of the same LCB and between different LCB connected by the linkcluster, such as by transmitting the signals that carry the data on thelinks at different respective frequencies. The messages or frames can bedistributed over the multiple links within the link cluster to increasecommunication throughput. Distributing the transmission over multiplelinks also reduces latency, response time, and power consumption of theLCB. In other examples, the messages or frames can be replicated andtransmitted over the multiple links to provide redundancy andaccordingly increase the robustness of communications.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a processing and communication system 100useful for processing and exchanging data, in accordance with variousexamples. The processing and communication system 100 may be a BLEdevice or LCB which is capable of establishing a connection to transmitand receive messages or frames in accordance with a BLE communicationstandard. For example, the processing and communication system 100 maybe a central device, such as a router, a computer device or asmartphone, or may be a peripheral device such as an Internet of Things(IoT) device, a sensor or other BLE device capable of establishing aconnection with a second BLE device or a network, such as the Internet.In some examples, the processing and communication system 100 may be asystem on a chip (SoC), an electronic circuit board or a computer cardof a BLE device. The processing and communication system 100 includeshardware components for establishing a connection and transmitting andreceiving data in accordance with the BLE communication standard. Asshown in FIG. 1 , the processing and communication system 100 mayinclude one or more processors 101 and one or more memories 102. Theprocessing and communication system 100 may also include one or moretransceivers 103 and one or more antennas 104 for establishing wirelessconnections. These components may be coupled through a bus 105, or inany other suitable manner. In FIG. 1 , an example in which thecomponents are coupled through a bus 105 is shown.

The processor 101 is configured to read and execute computer-readableinstructions. For example, the processor 101 is configured to invoke andexecute instructions in a program stored in the memory 102, includinginstructions 106. Responsive to the processor 101 transmitting data, theprocessor 101 drives or controls the transceiver 103 to perform thetransmitting. The processor 101 also drives or controls the transceiver103 to perform receiving, responsive to the processor 101 receivingdata. Therefore, the processor 101 may be considered as a control centerfor performing transmitting or receiving data and the transceiver 103 isan executor for performing the transmitting and receiving operations.

In some examples, the memory 102 is coupled to the processor 101 throughthe bus 105. In other examples, the memory 102 is integrated with theprocessor 101. The memory 102 is configured to store various softwareprograms and/or multiple groups of instructions, including theinstructions 106. The memory 102 may include one or more storagedevices. For example, the memory 102 includes a high-speed random-accessmemory and/or may include a nonvolatile memory such as one or more diskstorage devices, a flash memory or another nonvolatile solid-statestorage device. The memory 102 may store an OS such as ANDROID, IOS,WINDOWS or LINUX. The memory 102 may further store a networkcommunications program. The network communications program is useful forperforming communications with one or more attached devices, one or moreuser equipments, or one or more network devices. The memory 102 mayfurther store a user interface program. The user interface programdisplays content of an application through a graphical interface andreceive data or an operation performed by a user on the application viaan input control such as a menu, a dialog box or a physical input device(not shown). The memory 102 is configured to store the instructions 106for implementing the various methods and processes provided inaccordance with the various examples of this description.

The transceiver 103 includes a transmitter and a receiver. Thetransceiver 103 is configured to transmit a signal that is provided bythe processor 101. The transceiver 103 is also configured to receive asignal from other devices or equipments. In this example, thetransceiver 103 may be considered a wireless transceiver. The antenna104 may be configured to enable the exchanging of wireless communicationsignals between the transceiver 103 and a network or another system ordevice.

The processing and communication system 100 may also include anothercommunication component such as a Global Positioning System (GPS)module, cellular module, a BLUETOOTH or BLE module, Zigbee module, LongTerm Evolution (LTE), LTE-Machine Type Communication (LTE-M), NarrowBand LTE (NB-LTE), Sub-Gigahertz Communication (sub1G), or a WirelessFidelity (WI-FI) module. The processing and communication system 100 mayalso support another wireless communication signal such as a satellitesignal or a short-wave signal. The processing and communication system100 may also be provided with a wired network interface or a local areanetwork (LAN) interface to support wired communication.

In various examples, the processing and communication system 100 mayfurther include an input/output interface (not shown) for enablingcommunications between the processing and communication system 100 andone or more input/output devices (not shown). Examples of theinput/output devices include an audio input/output device, a key inputdevice, a display and the like. The input/output devices are configuredto implement interaction between the processing and communication system100 and a user or an external environment. The input/output device mayfurther include a camera, a touchscreen, a sensor, and the like. Theinput/output device communicates with the processor 101 through a userinterface.

The processing and communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is anexample of implementation in various examples of this description.During actual application, the processing and communication system 100may include more or fewer components. The processing and communicationsystem 100 may be part of a BLE device or LCB that is connected to otherBLE devices or LCBs.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a group 200 of connected LCBs, in accordance withvarious examples. The group 200 of LCBs includes a first network 201 anda second network 202 of LCBs that communicate with each other. The firstnetwork 201 includes a first central device 203 connected in amulti-peripherals mode via respective links (designated in FIG. 2 ascentral device (C) to peripheral device (P) links) to a first peripheraldevice 204, a second peripheral device 205, and a third peripheraldevice 206. The second network 202 includes a second central device 207also connected in a multi-peripherals mode via respective links to afourth peripheral device 208 and a fifth peripheral device 209. Thefirst central device 203 is also connected as a peripheral device to thesecond central device 207.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a group 300 of connected LCBs which may includeSoCs, electronic circuit boards or computer cards, in accordance withvarious examples. The group 300 of LCBs includes a first network 301, asecond network 302 and a third network 303 of LCBs that communicate witheach other. The first network 301 includes a first central device 304connected in a multi-peripherals mode via respective links (designatedin FIG. 3 as C P links) to a first peripheral device 305 and a secondperipheral device 306. The second network 302 includes a second centraldevice 307 connected in a multi-peripherals mode via respective links toa third peripheral device 308, a fourth peripheral device 309, a fifthperipheral device 310 and a sixth peripheral device 311. The thirdnetwork 303 includes the first peripheral device 305, the fifthperipheral device 310, and the sixth peripheral device 311.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the first peripheral device 305 is also connectedas a central device in a multi-peripherals mode to the fifth peripheraldevice 310 and the sixth peripheral device 311. The fifth peripheraldevice 310, and similarly the sixth peripheral device 311, are eachconnected in a multi-centrals mode to both the second central device 307and the first peripheral device 305, which is also acting as a centraldevice in third network 303.

In the group 300 or 200 of LCBs, a pair of connected LCBs is enabled,according to a BLE link-cluster architecture, to establish multiplelinks within a link cluster between each other simultaneously. The BLElink-cluster architecture also enables a LCB to establish multiple linksin a link cluster with multiple other BLE devices simultaneously. TheBLE link-cluster architecture coordinates and synchronizes thetransmission over the multiple links of the link cluster to enablesimultaneous transmission and/or reception of signals between the LCBsin a multi-peripherals mode, multi-centrals mode, or both.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a link cluster 400 between LCBs, in accordancewith various examples. The LCBs include a first LCB 401 and a second LCB402 that are connected, simultaneously, between each other via multiplelinks in the link cluster 400. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , thefirst LCB 401 is a central device and the second LCB 402 is a peripheraldevice connected to each other by a first link 403 and a second link 404simultaneously. Accordingly, the first LCB 401 and the second LCB 402can transmit or receive messages or frames on each of the first link 403and the second link 404 simultaneously. The messages or frames may betransmitted on the first link 403 in the form of a first signal at afirst frequency (F1) and on the second link 404 in the form of a secondsignal at a second frequency (F2). Transmitting the first signal and thesecond signal at different frequencies may reduce cross-linkinterference in the first signal and the second signal at the first LCB401 and the second LCB 402.

In some examples, the messages or frames are distributed over the firstlink 403 and the second link 404 to increase communication throughput,reduce latency or response time, and/or reduce power consumption of thefirst LCB 401 and the second LCB 402. The messages or frames aredistributed on the links by transmitting a first portion of the messagesor frames on the first link 403 and a second portion of the messages orframes on the second link 404. In other examples, the messages or framesare replicated and transmitted as a first copy of messages or frames onthe first link 403 and as a second copy of the same messages or frameson the second link 404 to provide redundancy and increase the robustnessof communications.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a link cluster 500 between LCBs, in accordancewith various examples. The LCBs include a first LCB 501, a second LCB502, and a third LCB 503 that are connected, simultaneously, via one ormultiple links in the link cluster 500 between each other. For theexample, the first LCB 501 is a central device and the second LCB 502 isa first peripheral device connected to each other, simultaneously, by afirst link 504 and a second link 505. The first LCB 501 and the secondLCB 502 can transmit or receive messages or frames on each of the firstlink 504 and the second link 505 simultaneously. The third LCB 503 is asecond peripheral device connected to the first LCB 501 by a third link506 and connected to the second LCB 502 by a fourth link 507. To reducecross-link interference among the links at the BLE devices, messages orframes may be transmitted at a first frequency (F1) on the first link504 and at a second frequency (F2) on the second link 505, at a thirdfrequency (F3) on the third link 506, and at a fourth frequency (F4) onthe fourth link 507.

In other examples, multiple links can be established in a link clusterbetween two or more LCBs, including between two peripheral devices. FIG.6 shows a link cluster 600 between LCBs, in accordance with variousexamples. The LCBs include a first LCB 601, a second LCB 602, and athird LCB 603 that are connected between each other via multiple linksin the link cluster 600. For the example, the first LCB 601 is a centraldevice and the second LCB 602 is a first peripheral device connected toeach other by a first link 604 and a second link 605 simultaneously. Thethird LCB 603 is a second peripheral device connected to the first LCB601 by a third link 606 and a fourth link 607 simultaneously, andconnected to the second LCB 602 by a fifth link 608 and a sixth link 609simultaneously. Accordingly, the first LCB 601, the second LCB 602, andthe third LCB 603 can transmit or receive messages or frames on each ofthe first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth links 604, 605, 606,607, 608 and 609 simultaneously. To reduce cross-link interference amongthe links at the different LCBs and among the links at the same LCB,messages or frames may be transmitted on the first, second, third,fourth, fifth and sixth links 604, 405, 606, 607, 608 and 609 at thedifferent frequencies F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 and F6, respectively.

In the examples of the link clusters 400, 500, and 600, the LCBs areenabled to establish multiple links between each other within a linkcluster based on a BLE link-cluster architecture. The BLE link-clusterarchitecture configures the LCB, which may be a central device or aperipheral device, with multiple BLE PHY interfaces and a single BLE LL.The multiple BLE PHY interfaces allow a first LCB to establish multiplerespective links with a second LCB or with multiple LCBs. The multipleBLE PHY interfaces are coupled to the same BLE LL at the LCB, which isaware of the messages or frames transmitted or received on each of themultiple links. Accordingly, the transmission of the messages or framescan be synchronized and coordinated on the multiple links at the LCB.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a centralized BLE link-cluster architecture 700for establishing a link cluster with multiple links for a single BLEdevice, in accordance with various examples. The device BLE link-clusterarchitecture 700 provides a LCB with a capability of establishing withone or more other LCBs multiple links simultaneously via the deviceduplicate BLE PHY interfaces. The multiple links increase the robustnessof communications and communication throughput, as described above. TheLCBs connected via the link cluster may include any combination ofcentral devices and peripheral devices. The BLE link-clusterarchitecture 700 also enables an LCB that acts as both a central deviceand a peripheral device with other LCBs to establish respective linkssimultaneously with the other LCBs.

The centralized BLE link-cluster architecture 700 includes data handlingblocks that are configured to process data and signals at differentcommunication layers of a BLE protocol, according to the BLEcommunication standard. The data is processed and managed at thedifferent communication layers in the arrangement order of the datahandling blocks in the BLE link-cluster architecture 700. The datahandling blocks can be implemented via software, hardware such as acircuit, or both. The data handling blocks are coupled to each other inthe order shown in FIG. 7 and include an application layer manager (APP)701, a host layer manager (Host) 702, a host to controller interface(HCI/IF) 703, a BLE LL controller 704, and duplicate transceivers 705.The duplicate transceivers 705 include respective BLE PHY interfaces tothe BLE LL controller 704. Each transceiver 705 includes a BLE PHYcontroller 706, a radio frequency front end (RF FE) 707, and a RFantenna 708. Each transceiver 705 is configured to establish arespective link at the LCB, transmit or receive data on the respectivelink, and manage the data at the signaling and RF levels.

The APP 701 interacts with BLE applications and profiles and managesdata accordingly. The APP 701 processes the data of an application atthe application level according to the application profile. For example,the BLE applications and profile are IoT applications and profiles. TheHost 702 interfaces with the APP 701 and manages host device functionssuch as BLE device discovery, connection related services, securityinitiation, device pairing, security key exchange, data encapsulation,data attributes, or other application interface features. The HCI/IF 703provides communication between the Host 702 and the BLE LL controller704 via a suitable communication interface type, such as an applicationprogramming interface (API), a universal asynchronousreceiver-transmitter (UART), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or auniversal serial bus (USB). The BLE LL controller 704 maintainssimultaneously multiple links between the LCB of the BLE link-clusterarchitecture 700 and one or more connected LCBs to process dataassociated with the links at the LL. The BLE LL controller 704 mayhandle advertising, scanning, and creating or maintaining connections ofthe respective links at the LCB. For example, the connections may behandled according to the transmission mode of the LCB (e.g., unicast orbroadcast) or according to the role of the LCB (e.g., central orperipheral device, advertiser or scanner, broadcaster or observer).Examples of the LL states include scanning, advertising, initiating,connection, synchronization and standby states.

The transceivers 705 provide BLE PHY interfaces to the BLE LL controller704. In each transceiver 705 that establishes a respective link of thelinks at the LCB, the BLE PHY controller 706 manages data exchange in aform of messages or frames on the links simultaneously and interfaceswith the BLE LL controller 704. The BLE PHY controller 706 processes thedata at the PHY layer including modulating the data for transmissionaccording to a modulation scheme at a certain data rate and a certainfrequency. The RF FE 707 manages transmission and reflection of the datavia the RF antenna 708. The data signals may be transmitted or receivedat different frequencies on the different links. For example, as shownin FIG. 7 , the BLE link-cluster architecture 700 may provide threetransceivers 705 that transmit or receive signals at F1, F2 and F3 onthree respective links simultaneously. The three links may connect afirst LCB to a second LCB or to multiple other LCBs. For example, afirst LCB configured with the BLE link-cluster architecture 700 may be acentral device that connects to a first peripheral device with threelinks simultaneously, or connects to the first peripheral device withtwo links and simultaneously to a second peripheral device with a thirdlink.

In the centralized BLE link-cluster architecture 700, the data handlingblocks are located in a single BLE device, such as a modem. In otherexamples, the BLE link-cluster architecture 700 may be implemented atmultiple devices with close proximity, such as in the same room orbuilding. The data handling blocks that form a BLE link-clusterarchitecture may also be located at different devices in one or morenetworks. FIG. 8 is a diagram of a PHY level distributed BLElink-cluster architecture 800 for establishing a link cluster withmultiple links for a BLE device, in accordance with various examples.The PHY level distributed BLE link-cluster architecture 800 provides aLCB, such as a central device or a peripheral device, with thecapability of establishing with one or more other LCBs multiple linkssimultaneously via duplicate BLE PHY interfaces. The duplicate BLE PHYinterfaces are distributed among different devices, such as at differentwireless transmitter devices connected in a one or more networks.

The PHY level distributed BLE link-cluster architecture 800 includesdata handling blocks, implemented via software and/or hardware, forhandling data and signals at different communication layers of the BLEprotocol. The data handling blocks include, in the order shown in FIG. 8, an APP 801, a Host 802, a HCI/IF 803, a BLE LL controller 804, andduplicate BLE PHY interfaces. The APP 801, Host 802, and BLE LLcontroller 804 may be located at a modem 805 of the LCB. The duplicateBLE PHY interfaces may be locate at multiple transceivers 806 that arecoupled to the modem 805 through one or more networks 807. The one ormore networks 807 may include a group of connected BLE devices, a LAN,the Internet, or any combination of communication networks. Eachtransceiver 806 includes a BLE PHY controller 808, a RF FE 809, and a RFantenna 810. Each transceiver 806 is configured to establish arespective link for the LCB, transmit or receive data on the respectivelink, and handle the data at the signaling and RF levels. Thedistributed transceivers 806 can increase signal coverage and protectionagainst failures in any of duplicate transmitter devices. Thetransceivers 806 may also require synchronization with the modem 805 tocoordinate the transmission or reception of signals at the LCB.

In the PHY level distributed BLE link-cluster architecture 800, data ishandled at the BLE LL in a centralized manner in the modem 805. In otherexamples, BLE LL processing can be distributed with the BLE PHYinterfaces at multiple devices. FIG. 9 is a diagram of a LL leveldistributed BLE link-cluster architecture 900 for establishing a linkcluster with multiple links for a BLE device, in accordance with variousexamples. The distributed BLE link-cluster architecture 900 provides aLCB, such as a central device or a peripheral device, with thecapability of establishing with one or more other LCB multiple linkssimultaneously via distributed BLE LL and BLE PHY interfaces. The BLE LLand BLE PHY interfaces can be distributed among different devices, suchas at different wireless transmitter devices.

The LL level distributed BLE link-cluster architecture 900 includes datahandling blocks for handling data and signals at different communicationlayers of the BLE protocol. The data handling blocks can be implementedvia software, hardware, or both. The data handling blocks include, inthe order shown in FIG. 9 , an APP 901, a Host 902, a HCI/IF 903, acentral BLE LL controller 904, and distributed sets of BLE LL and BLEPHY interfaces. The APP 901, Host 902, and central BLE LL controller 904may be located at a modem 905 of the LCB. The BLE LL and BLE PHYinterfaces may be located at multiple transceivers 906 that are coupledto the modem 905 through one or more networks 907. The one or morenetworks 907 may include a group of BLE devices, a LAN, the Internet, orany combination of communication networks. Each transceiver 906 includesa BLE LL interface 908 that communicates with the central BLE LLcontroller 904 to perform LL level time synchronization. The transceiver906 also includes a BLE PHY controller 909, a RF FE 910, and a RFantenna 911. Each transceiver 906 is configured to establish arespective link for the LCB, transmit or receive data on the respectivelink, and handle the data at the signaling and LL, PHY and RF levels.

In the BLE link-cluster architectures 700, 800 and 900, the duplicateBLE PHY interfaces establish respective wireless links simultaneouslyvia respective transceivers and RF antennas. In other examples, thewireless links can be established via a single transceiver and RFantenna to reduce power consumption by the RF circuit of the LCB. FIG.10 is a diagram of a BLE link-cluster architecture 1000 for establishinga link cluster with multiple links for a BLE device, in accordance withvarious examples. The BLE link-cluster architecture 1000 provides a LCBwith the capability of establishing with one or more other LCBs multiplelinks simultaneously via duplicate BLE PHY interfaces with a jointtransceiver and RF antenna. The joint transceiver and RF antenna canreduce the power requirement of the BLE device to transmit and receivewireless signals.

The BLE link-cluster architecture 1000 includes data handling blocks forhandling data and signals at different communication layers of the BLEprotocol. The data handling blocks include, in the order shown in FIG.10 , an APP 1001, a Host 1002, a HCI/IF 1003, a BLE LL controller 1004,and duplicate interfaces of BLE PHY layers in a same transceiver 1005.The transceiver 1005 includes duplicate interfaces 1006 coupled to asingle RF antenna 1007. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , thetransceiver 1005 may include two duplicate interfaces 1006 coupled tothe RF antenna 1007. Each interface 1006 includes a BLE PHY controller1008 coupled to a RF FE 1009. To transmit signals, each RF FE 1009 mayinclude a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 1010 coupled to the BLE PHYcontroller 1008, a transmitter low pass filter (LPF) 1011 coupled to theDAC 1010, a transmitter mixer 1012 coupled to the transmitter LPF 1011,and a power amplifier (PA) 1013 coupled to the transmitter mixer 1012and the RF antenna 1007. To receive signals, the RF FE 1009 may includea low noise amplifier (LNA) 1014 coupled to the RF antenna 1007, areceiver mixer 1015 coupled to the LNA 1014, a receiver LPF 1016 coupledto the receiver mixer 1015, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)1017 coupled to the receiver LPF 1016 and the BLE PHY controller 1008.

In other examples, a BLE link-cluster architecture includes a single BLEPHY controller configured to establish multiple links simultaneously viaa single transceiver. FIG. 11 is a diagram of a BLE link-clusterarchitecture 1100 for establishing a link cluster with multiple linksfor a BLE device, in accordance with various examples. The BLElink-cluster architecture 1100 provides a LCB with the capability ofestablishing with one or more other LCBs multiple links simultaneouslywith a single BLE PHY controller and a single transceiver and RFantenna. The single BLE PHY controller can reduce the cost of the BLElink-cluster architecture 1100, such as in comparison to the BLElink-cluster architecture 1000 with the multiple BLE PHY interfaces.

The BLE link-cluster architecture 1100 includes, in the order shown inFIG. 11 , an APP 1101, a Host 1102, a HCI/IF 1103, a BLE LL controller1104, a BLE PHY controller 1105 and a transceiver 1106. The transceiver1106 includes duplicate RF FEs 1007 coupled to a single RF antenna 1108.For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , the transceiver 1106 may include twoduplicate RF FEs 1107 coupled to the RF antenna 1108. To transmitsignals, each RF FE 1107 may include a DAC 1109 coupled to the BLE PHYcontroller 1105, a transmitter LPF 1110 coupled to the DAC 1109, atransmitter mixer 1111 coupled to the transmitter LPF 1110, and a PA1112 coupled to the transmitter mixer 1111 and the RF antenna 1108. Toreceive signals, the RF FE 1107 may include a LNA 1113 coupled to the RFantenna 1108, a receiver mixer 1114 coupled to the LNA 1113, a receiverLPF 1115 coupled to the receiver mixer 1114, and an ADC 1116 coupled tothe receiver LPF 1115 and the BLE PHY controller 1105.

In other examples, a BLE link-cluster architecture includes a joint PAand a joint LNA configured to establish multiple links simultaneouslyvia a single transceiver. FIG. 12 is a diagram of a BLE link-clusterarchitecture 1200 for establishing a link cluster with multiple linksfor a BLE device, in accordance with various examples. The BLElink-cluster architecture 1200 provides a LCB with the capability ofestablishing with one or more other LCBs multiple links simultaneouslywith a single transceiver and joint PA and LNA. The joint PA and LNAdesign can reduce the cost of the BLE link-cluster architecture 1200,such as in comparison to the BLE link-cluster architecture 1000 or theBLE link-cluster architecture 1100.

The BLE link-cluster architecture 1200 includes, in the order shown inFIG. 12 , an APP 1201, a Host 1202, a HCI/IF 1203, a BLE LL controller1204, a BLE PHY controller 1205 and a transceiver 1206. The transceiver1206 includes a joint transmitter 1207 for transmitting signals onmultiple links simultaneously, a joint receiver 1208 for receivingsignals on the multiple links, and a single RF antenna 1209 coupled tothe joint transmitter 1207 and the joint receiver 1208. The jointtransmitter 1207 includes duplicate transmitter RF FEs 1210 coupled to ajoint PA 1211. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 , the joint transmitter1207 may include two duplicate transmitter RF FEs 1210 coupled to thejoint PA 1211. To transmit signals, each transmitter RF FE 1210 mayinclude a DAC 1212 coupled to the BLE PHY controller 1205, a transmitterLPF 1213 coupled to the DAC 1212, and a transmitter mixer 1214 coupledto the transmitter LPF 1213 and the joint PA 1211. The joint receiver1208 includes duplicate receiver RF FEs 1215 coupled to a joint LNA1216. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 , the joint transmitter 1207 mayinclude two duplicate receiver RF FEs 1215 coupled to the joint LNA1216. To receive signals, the receiver RF FE 1215 may include a receivermixer 1217 coupled to the joint LNA 1216, a receiver LPF 1218 coupled tothe receiver mixer 1217, and an ADC 1219 coupled to the receiver LPF1218 and the BLE PHY controller 1205.

In other examples, the BLE link-cluster architecture, which enables aLCB to establish multiple links simultaneously with one or more otherLCBs, may be a combination of any of the BLE link-cluster architectures700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 and 1200. For example, a BLE link-clusterarchitecture of a LCB can include duplicate BLE PHY interfacesdistributed among different transmitter devices connected to the LCB.Any of the transmitter devices may include duplicate transceivers or asingle transceiver configured to transmit or receive signals on multiplelinks simultaneously. The single transceiver may include duplicate RFFEs and a single RF antenna, or may include duplicate RF FEs with ajoint PA in a joint transmitter and duplicate RF FEs with a joint LNA ina joint receiver.

The term “couple” appears throughout the specification. The term maycover connections, communications or signal paths that enable afunctional relationship consistent with this description. For example,if device A provides a signal to control device B to perform an action,in a first example device A is coupled to device B or in a secondexample device A is coupled to device B through intervening component Cif intervening component C does not substantially alter the functionalrelationship between device A and device B such that device B iscontrolled by device A via the control signal provided by device A.

A device that is “configured to” perform a task or function may beconfigured (e.g., programmed and/or hardwired) at a time ofmanufacturing by a manufacturer to perform the function and/or may beconfigurable (or reconfigurable) by a user after manufacturing toperform the function and/or other additional or alternative functions.The configuring may be through firmware and/or software programming ofthe device, through a construction and/or layout of hardware componentsand interconnections of the device or a combination thereof.

An architecture or device that is described herein as including certaincomponents may instead be adapted to be coupled to those components toform the described architecture or device. Unless otherwise stated,“about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” preceding a valuemeans+/−10 percent of the stated value. Modifications are possible inthe described examples, and other examples are possible within the scopeof the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a BLUETOOTH low energy(BLE) link layer (LL) controller configured to maintain a link clusterincluding multiple links between the device and one or more connecteddevices that share parameters associated with the link cluster and toprocess data associated with the links of the link cluster at a LL, thelinks of the link cluster established according to a BLE communicationstandard; and BLE physical link (PHY) interfaces coupled to the BLE LLcontroller and configured to exchange the data on different links of thelink cluster at different respective signal frequencies, interface withthe BLE LL controller, and process the data at a PHY layer.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, further comprising transceivers including the BLE PHYinterfaces, each of the BLE PHY interfaces including: a BLE PHYcontroller configured to interface with the BLE LL controller and managedata exchange in a form of messages or frames on a respective link ofthe multiple links in the link cluster; a radio frequency (RF) front end(FE) configured to manage signal transmission and reception of the dataon the respective link; and a RF antenna configured to transmit andreceive signals on the respective link.
 3. The device of claim 1,further comprising a transceiver that includes: the BLE PHY interfaces;and a radio frequency (RF) antenna coupled to the BLE PHY interfaces andconfigured to transmit and receive signals on the links of the linkcluster.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein each of the BLE PHYinterfaces includes: a BLE PHY controller configured to interface withthe BLE LL controller and manage data exchange in a form of messages orframes on a respective link of the multiple links in the link cluster;and a RF FE coupled to the RF antenna and configured to manage signaltransmission and reception of the data on the respective link.
 5. Thedevice of claim 4, wherein the RF FE includes: a digital-to-analogconverter (DAC) coupled to the BLE PHY controller; a transmitter lowpass filter (LPF) coupled to the DAC; a transmitter mixer coupled to thetransmitter LPF; a power amplifier (PA) coupled to the transmitter mixerand the RF antenna; a low noise amplifier (LNA) coupled to the RFantenna; a receiver mixer coupled to the LNA; a receiver LPF coupled tothe receiver mixer; and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled tothe receiver LPF and the BLE PHY controller.
 6. The device of claim 1,further comprising: a BLE PHY controller configured to interface withthe BLE LL controller and manage data exchange in a form of messages orframes on the links of the link cluster; and a transceiver including:the BLE PHY interfaces; and a radio frequency (RF) antenna coupled tothe BLE PHY interfaces and configured to transmit and receive signals onthe links of the link cluster.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein each ofthe BLE PHY interfaces includes a RF FE coupled to the RF antenna andconfigured to manage signal transmission and reception of the data on arespective link of the multiple links in the link cluster, the RF FEincluding: a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) coupled to the BLE PHYcontroller; a transmitter low pass filter (LPF) coupled to the DAC; atransmitter mixer coupled to the transmitter LPF; a power amplifier (PA)coupled to the transmitter mixer and the RF antenna; a low noiseamplifier (LNA) coupled to the RF antenna; a receiver mixer coupled tothe LNA; a receiver LPF coupled to the receiver mixer; and ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to the receiver LPF and theBLE PHY controller.
 8. The device of claim 1, further comprising: a BLEPHY controller configured to interface with the BLE LL controller andmanage data exchange in a form of messages or frames on the links of thelink cluster; and a transceiver configured to provide the BLE PHYinterfaces, the transceiver including: a joint transmitter configured tomanage signal transmission on the links; a joint receiver configured tomanage signal reception on the links; and a radio frequency (RF) antennacoupled to the joint transmitter and the joint receiver and configuredto transmit and receive signals on the links.
 9. The device of claim 8,wherein the joint transmitter includes: a joint power amplifier (PA)coupled to the RF antenna; and transmitter RF front ends (FEs) coupledto the joint PA, each of the transmitter RF FEs including: adigital-to-analog converter (DAC) coupled to the BLE PHY controller; atransmitter low pass filter (LPF) coupled to the DAC; and a transmittermixer coupled to the transmitter LPF and the joint PA.
 10. The device ofclaim 8, wherein the joint receiver includes: a joint low noiseamplifier (LNA) coupled to the RF antenna; and receiver RF front ends(FEs) coupled to the joint LNA, each of the receiver RF FEs including: areceiver mixer coupled to the joint LNA; a receiver LPF coupled to thereceiver mixer; and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to thereceiver LPF and the BLE PHY controller.
 11. The device of claim 1,wherein the multiple links of the link cluster connect the device thatis a central device to the connected devices that are peripheral devicesor connect the device that is a peripheral device to the connecteddevices that are central devices.
 12. The device of claim 1, furthercomprising: an application layer circuit configured to process the dataat an application layer; a host layer circuit configured to manage hostdevice functions and interface with the application layer circuit; and ahost to controller interface (HCI/IF) configured to provide acommunication interface between the host layer circuit and the BLE LLcontroller.
 13. An apparatus, comprising: a non-transitory memoryconfigured to store instructions; and a processor coupled to thenon-transitory memory, wherein executing the instructions causes theprocessor to be configured to: maintain a link cluster includingmultiple links between the apparatus and one or more connected devicesthat share parameters associated with the link cluster and to processdata associated with the links of the link cluster at a link layer (LL),the links of the link cluster established according to a BLUETOOTH lowenergy (BLE) communication standard; process the data at a PHY layer;and exchange data on different links of the link cluster at differentrespective signal frequencies and at respective BLE physical link (PHY)interfaces coupled to the LL.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein theapparatus is a central device and the one or more connected devicesinclude one or more peripheral devices connected via respective links ofthe link cluster to the central device in one or more networks.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is a peripheral device andthe one or more connected devices include one or more central devicesconnected via respective links of the link cluster to the peripheraldevice in one or more networks.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13, whereinexecuting the instructions further causes the processor to be configuredto: coordinate and synchronize transmission and reception of frames ofthe data on the links of the link cluster; simultaneously transmit,receive or transmit and receive the frames on different links of thelink cluster; fragment and reassemble the frames on the links; duplicatethe frames and detect duplicated frames on the links; dynamically switchthe frames on the links; or retransmit the frames on the links.
 17. Asystem, comprising: a BLE device including a BLUETOOTH low energy (BLE)link layer (LL) controller, the BLE LL controller configured to maintaina link cluster including multiple links between the BLE device and oneor more connected devices that share parameters associated with the linkcluster and to process data associated with the links of the linkcluster at the LL, the links of the link cluster established accordingto a BLE communication standard; and transmitter devices includingrespective BLE physical link (PHY) interfaces coupled to the BLE LLcontroller via one or more networks, the BLE PHY interfaces configuredto exchange the data on different links of the link cluster at differentrespective signal frequencies with the one or more connected devices,interface with the BLE LL controller and process the data at a PHYlayer.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the transmitterdevices includes a transceiver, the transceiver including: a BLE PHYcontroller configured to interface with the BLE LL controller and managedata exchange in a form of messages or frames on a respective link ofthe multiple links in the link cluster; a radio frequency (RF) front end(FE) configured to manage signal transmission and reception of the dataon the respective link; and a RF antenna configured to transmit andreceive signals on the respective link.
 19. The system of claim 17,wherein each of the transmitter devices includes a transceiver, thetransceiver including: a BLE LL interface configured to communicate withthe BLE LL controller and perform time synchronization between thetransceiver and the BLE LL controller; a BLE PHY controller configuredto interface with the BLE LL controller and manage data exchange in aform of messages or frames on a respective link of the multiple links inthe link cluster; a radio frequency (RF) front end (FE) configured tomanage signal transmission and reception of the data on the respectivelink; and a RF antenna configured to transmit and receive signals on therespective link.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein the BLE devicefurther includes: an application layer manager configured to process thedata at an application layer; a host layer manager configured to managehost device functions and interface with an application layer circuit;and a host to controller interface (HCI/IF) configured to provide acommunication interface between a host layer circuit and the BLE LLcontroller.